The easy-to-grow herb can add bold flavor to range of dishes

Jul. 30, 2013

Orzo with Parsley Pesto / Annakate Tefft Ross

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Annakate Tefft Ross

www.laaguacate.com

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Annakate Tefft Ross is a food enthusiast and blogger. By day sheís the director of digital services at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations. Follow her on Twitter at @annk8TR.

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Every season I seem to have a favorite item from the garden. This spring it was lettuce. I couldnít believe how incredibly easy it was to grow. I also found it really gratifying to harvest right before dinner. More than other vegetables, thereís really something special about super fresh lettuce.

This summer Iím into my herbs. I planted a standalone herb garden for the first time, and Iíve got rosemary, oregano, basil, dill, cilantro, thyme, mint and parsley growing. Iím especially pleased with my parsley.

Italian flat leaf parsley is easy to grow: It doesnít bolt when it gets hot like so many other herbs (bolting means flowering quickly, which causes bitterness), and it tastes great. If you donít have much space, parsley grows well in a pot on a patio, too. Just make sure it gets lots of sun and water.

These days Iíd call myself an adventurous eater, but it wasnít until a few years ago that I really embraced parsley. Olives were also on that list, and now I think of them as a real treat to have with cocktails or as a snack before a meal. I add parsley, with its bold, herbaceous flavor, to pasta, salads, soups, pizza, meats, egg dishes, casseroles, sauces and more. It adds a touch of freshness to everything it touches, plus it makes everything look better. That bright bolt of green is the first thing on the plate that catches your eye.

A recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine featured a parsley pesto on the cover, and I was intrigued. I love chimichurri, an Argentinian condiment composed of parsley, vinegar and oil, served with grilled steak. But Iíd never made a pesto out of parsley before. Since Iíve got a bumper crop this year, I decided to try it out.

The dish originally called for spaghetti, but since I had orzo ó a toothsome pasta shaped like a large grain of rice and popular in Greece ó I decided to give it a Greek flavor profile. I used feta instead of Parmesan, and added in cherry tomatoes and lemon juice. I liked that the original recipe called for almonds instead of pine nuts. Pine nuts are expensive and can go rancid quickly, plus I rarely have them on hand. Almonds, for me, are just the opposite.

Orzo with parsley pesto is easy to make, with a minimal cooking time so that the kitchen doesnít get so hot. It would also be great served cold as a summer side at a cookout. To make it more of a main-dish meal, add shrimp or grilled chicken. For a vegetarian take, I served this with a fried egg on the side.

I also want to give a plug to the immersion blender, or stick blender. I have a KitchenAid model that comes with a food processor attachment. The bowl is small, so I had to make the pesto in two batches, but itís so much easier to clean than my enormous 14-cup food processor.

Cheers to parsley, the star of my summer garden. Iím excited to see what catches my eye this fall. Stay tuned!

Orzo with Parsley Pesto

To keep extra or purchased parsley fresh, trim the stems, then place the bunch in a glass of water and keep it in the fridge.

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving at least a cup of the starchy pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, pulse almonds in the bowl of a food processor until well-ground. Add parsley, chives, oil and cheese and pulse until desired smoothness is achieved (I like mine with some texture). Season thoroughly with salt and pepper.

3. Toss tomatoes with pasta, then add pesto. Starting with pesto, scoop spoonfuls into pasta, alternating with tablespoons of reserved pasta water until the right consistency is achieved.